Archive for June 2020

Alicia Wolf was sitting in the driver’s seat of her parked car filled with a bunch of her co-workers when she felt like she was being propelled forward. It was that moment that solidified that, in addition to the months of dizziness she had been experiencing, that she needed medical intervention. She saw seven or…

Living with Migraine can feel really lonely, but advocacy brings us together. This article shares how I found community at Retreat Migraine and how to get started as an advocate.

Migraine is hard on a relationship and a family during normal times. Throw in the unique and ever-changing realities of a global pandemic, and it makes the situation extra challenging. But it also has given me insights into my wife’s world that I would not have otherwise learned, and that might be helpful to other…

After 18 years of living chronic migraine, numerous hours in doctors’ offices and countless failed therapies, some may wonder how hope could ever be a part of my vocabulary now. To be honest, the younger version of myself would ask me the same question. For my younger self, hope was synonymous with my dreams. I…

I have had migraine disease since the age of 12 but did not receive a diagnosis until adulthood. My migraines remained episodic until July 2016, when I became chronic intractable. I had been ignorant about what migraine disease could be, never in my wildest dreams did I believe you could have a migraine that never…

One of the most awesome things as a migraine patient advocate is watching others discover their voice in the midst of the community. The realization that even in the midst of life with migraine there is purpose and value can be transformative. Walking through that journey with someone is inspiring! For the past year, I’ve…

My headaches tend to come in clusters, yet I haven’t got a cluster headache. How come? Once I get one migraine, it’ll often return day after day, before finally ending. But this is not cluster disease. Cluster disease is a clinical term with a defined set of symptoms, including extreme headaches, so excruciating, the condition…

What is migraine disease? Unlike what you might think, migraine is not just a headache. It is a neurological disease with no cure and is still extremely stigmatized. Migraine consists of excruciating and disabling pain that usually presents on one side of the head but can also occur on both sides. Migraine is not just…

Migraine attacks don’t pause, even for a pandemic that’s turning people’s lives and the health care system upside down. That’s why advocates are fighting to maintain continuous access to health care and migraine medication amid COVID-19. Uninterrupted care for migraine disease patients requires policymakers to rethink business as usual in at least five important ways.…

You may find yourself trying a different treatment regimen while you and your doctor work to discover what is best for your unique health situation. It is important to keep track of how each medication works and be able to provide feedback to your prescribing doctor about the effectiveness of the new treatment as well…